Archaeology in the Marche, the best of

The bilingual Etruscan and Latin inscription from the Augustan period is preserved at the Oliveriano Archaelogical Museum of Pesaro. The inscription was found in 1523 at the end of the Branca Street, not far from the ancient Porta Curina. The museum worths a visit for its important archaeological heritage. The marble windrose or amenoscope is a unique monument, found in Rome in 1759 near Porta Capena on the Appian way and hidden for a long period in a warehouse of the Almerici Palace; there are also some bas-reliefs made of glass paste, the most important of which shows Mithra divinity; three sandstone stelas, the first one was found at Saint Nicholas of Valmanente in 1860, the second one near Novilara in 1866, and the last one in the necropolis in 1892. They date back to the period between the VIII and VI centuries B.C..

Guided visits to the roman buildings under the Church of Sant’Agostino are organized by Fano Archeoclub during the year.

In winter (from mid-September to mid-June) visits are organized on the second Saturday in the month (when the Antiques Fair is also held) at 5:30 p.m.  In Summer (from mid-June to mid-September) visits are possible on Wednesday and Friday evening at 9:30 p.m. (in August also on Thursday evening).

Reservation required : Fano Archeoclub mob. 339.8070687 – archeoclubfano@gmail.com.

Any visit to Roman Fano must inevitably start at the Arch of Augustus. Fano’s symbol from time immemorial, during the Roman period it was the main gate of the Colonia Julia Fanestris, built by the Emperor Augustus on the site of a settlement which had grown around the Republican Fanum Fortunae (a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Fortune).
The monument, built at the point where the Via Flaminia leads into the Decumanum Maximum (or main street) of the city, can be dated from the inscription on the frieze to the year 9 A.D.. Built on the outer side with square blocks of Istrian stone, the Gate comprises two smaller lateral barrel-vaulted arches and a larger central barrel-vaulted arch, the keystone of which is decorated with a zoomorphic decoration which is no longer recognisable today. The stones from the topmost section, which was reduced to rubble by the artillery of the Duke of Urbino Federico da Montefeltro in 1463, were used to build the adjacent church of San Michele. Continuing onwards, our route takes us to the Augustan Walls. Built on the orders of the Emperor Augustus in his grandiose project to monumentalise the city, it was finished in the year 9 A.D.. The walls still today preserve two thirds of the original circuit.

The Flaminian Way provided a vital link between ancient Rome, Cisalpine Gaul and the whole of Northern Europe. For the cities lying along its route this brought new-found prosperity.
From Rimini to Pesaro and on to Fano, it then turned inland towards the narrow Furlo Gorge, an incredible mountain canyon between Monte Pietralata and Monte Paganuccio, before continuing on to the Imperial capital. Subsequent improvements to the Flaminian Way were made under the rule of Emperor Vespasian between 70 and 76 AD, when a new tunnel was cut through the gorge to ease passage through the gorge.

Today, the Flaminian Way provides a fascinating route for visitors as well as being an important road link.

The Domus of Coiedii is now part of the Archaeological Park of Castelleone of Suasa and was built in a central location between the area of the Forum and the amphitheater,overlooking the important road axis of the ancient city of Suasa. It is a large structure belonged to the important noble family of Coiedii, as confirmed by an inscription in the Archaeological Civic Museum and found in the swimming pool of the house. The domus has undergone over the centuries several construction changes in its structure, layout and decor. The most important change dates back to the second century. A.D. and was built by the Coiedii family itself, perhaps in their moment of greatest fortune through a building expansion performed at the expense of neighbouring dwellings. Contemporary to the period of greatest splendor of the domus are the beautiful figurative mosaics, such as those with erotic subject of Leda and the Swan, Eros and Pan or the polychrome one of Tritons and Nereids. However, in the Archaeological Museum are preserved, some frescoes, fine examples of wall painting of the second century. A.D. along with some rare examples of painting of the second century. BC, very similar to the first style of the Pompeian painting.

Erected in the year 115 A.D. by Apollodorus of Damascus in honour of Trajan, a great supporter of the rebirth of the port of Ancona, the arch was once ornate with statues and friezes that disappeared over the centuries. The arch, wich still features its original elegance and style, was recently restored, and a new lighting design was accomplished to highlight its profile and valorise its particular position with respect to the historical centre of the Town and to Colle Guasco.

According to Festus the name Picenum derives from the fact that the insignia of the Sabines who migrated towards Asculum Picenum (present-day Ascoli Piceno) was a woodpecker (picus), a bird sacred to Mars, which aligh t ed on their standard; and from this they took the name Piceni or Picentes. The discovery of various cemeteries scattered between the rivers Foglia to the north and Pescara to the south, in Abruzzi, has revealed the existence – from the eighth to the first centuries B.C. – of what is known as the Picene culture, which flourished in the area in central Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea until it was conquered by the Romans. The most important burial sites, with rich grave goods, have been found at Novilara (province of Pesaro), Numana and Fabriano (province of Ancona), Matelica and Pitino (province of Macerata) and Belmonte Piceno (province of Fermo).

After being the site of a Bronze Age settlement and then an important Picene town, in about 390 B.C. Ancona became the home of a group of refugees who arrived from the Greek colony of Syracuse, in Sicily; living side by side with the Picenes, they set up a thri ving port that traded with the eastern Mediterranean. The nearby town of Numana, an old Picene port, also had important trading relations with the Greek civilization. In the fourth and third centuries B.C., the central and northern Marches up to Esino were occupied by the Gallic tribes known as the Senones. The most important settlements of this people – who produced splendid jewellery now exhibited at the Museo archeologico nazionale delle Marche – have been found at Arcevia and Senigallia. After the battle of Sentinum in 295 B.C. between an alliance of the Gauls and the Samnites and one of the Romans and Picenes, in the area between Camerino and Sassoferrato, the Romans occupied the territory of the Gauls, stressing its cultural distinctiveness by calling it ager Gallicus. Over the next twocenturies they conquered the rest of the region, building roads, such as the Via Flaminia, which still links Rome to Fano, and the Via Salaria, which they used to transport salt from Porto d’Ascoli. Along them, the Romans founded colonies and municipia (provincial cities whose citizens had the privileges of Roman citizens), evidence of which is still clearly visible today in the grid plans of a number of towns (Pesaro, Fano, Senigallia, Jesi, Ascoli Piceno) and in the ancient monuments, such as Trajan’s Arch at Ancona; on the Via Flaminia, the Arch of Augustus at Fano, Vespasian’s tunnel (76 A.D.) in the Gola del Furlo, and bridges, such as Ponte Mallio at Cagli, Ponte Grosso at Pontericcioli (Cantiano area); on the Via Salaria, Porta Gemina and Ponte del Solestà at Ascoli Piceno. The equestrian group in gilded bronze found at Cartoceto di Pergola is particularly interesting, as is the sculpture in bronze attributed to Lysippus found in the waters off Fano and currently on display at the Getty Museum in Malibù, California. Numerous relics from Picene, Gallic and Roman times are to be found in the archaeological museums (Ancona, Arcevia, Urbino, Pesaro, Pergola, Cingoli, Urbisaglia and Ascoli Piceno) and the numerous archaeological parks (Fossombrone, Sassoferrato, Castellone di Suasa, San Severino Marche, Urbisaglia, Falerone and Cupra Marittima).

According to Festus the name Picenum derives from the fact that the insignia of the Sabines who migrated towards Asculum Picenum (present-day Ascoli Piceno) was a woodpecker (picus), a bird sacred to Mars, which aligh t ed on their standard; and from this they took the name Piceni or Picentes. The discovery of various cemeteries scattered between the rivers Foglia to the north and Pescara to the south, in Abruzzi, has revealed the existence – from the eighth to the first centuries B.C. – of what is known as the Picene culture, which flourished in the area in central Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea until it was conquered by the Romans. The most important burial sites, with rich grave goods, have been found at Novilara (province of Pesaro), Numana and Fabriano (province of Ancona), Matelica and Pitino (province of Macerata) and Belmonte Piceno (province of Fermo).

After being the site of a Bronze Age settlement and then an important Picene town, in about 390 B.C. Ancona became the home of a group of refugees who arrived from the Greek colony of Syracuse, in Sicily; living side by side with the Picenes, they set up a thri ving port that traded with the eastern Mediterranean. The nearby town of Numana, an old Picene port, also had important trading relations with the Greek civilization. In the fourth and third centuries B.C., the central and northern Marches up to Esino were occupied by the Gallic tribes known as the Senones. The most important settlements of this people – who produced splendid jewellery now exhibited at the Museo archeologico nazionale delle Marche – have been found at Arcevia and Senigallia. After the battle of Sentinum in 295 B.C. between an alliance of the Gauls and the Samnites and one of the Romans and Picenes, in the area between Camerino and Sassoferrato, the Romans occupied the territory of the Gauls, stressing its cultural distinctiveness by calling it ager Gallicus. Over the next twocenturies they conquered the rest of the region, building roads, such as the Via Flaminia, which still links Rome to Fano, and the Via Salaria, which they used to transport salt from Porto d’Ascoli. Along them, the Romans founded colonies and municipia (provincial cities whose citizens had the privileges of Roman citizens), evidence of which is still clearly visible today in the grid plans of a number of towns (Pesaro, Fano, Senigallia, Jesi, Ascoli Piceno) and in the ancient monuments, such as Trajan’s Arch at Ancona; on the Via Flaminia, the Arch of Augustus at Fano, Vespasian’s tunnel (76 A.D.) in the Gola del Furlo, and bridges, such as Ponte Mallio at Cagli, Ponte Grosso at Pontericcioli (Cantiano area); on the Via Salaria, Porta Gemina and Ponte del Solestà at Ascoli Piceno. The equestrian group in gilded bronze found at Cartoceto di Pergola is particularly interesting, as is the sculpture in bronze attributed to Lysippus found in the waters off Fano and currently on display at the Getty Museum in Malibù, California. Numerous relics from Picene, Gallic and Roman times are to be found in the archaeological museums (Ancona, Arcevia, Urbino, Pesaro, Pergola, Cingoli, Urbisaglia and Ascoli Piceno) and the numerous archaeological parks (Fossombrone, Sassoferrato, Castellone di Suasa, San Severino Marche, Urbisaglia, Falerone and Cupra Marittima).

According to Festus the name Picenum derives from the fact that the insignia of the Sabines who migrated towards Asculum Picenum (present-day Ascoli Piceno) was a woodpecker (picus), a bird sacred to Mars, which aligh t ed on their standard; and from this they took the name Piceni or Picentes. The discovery of various cemeteries scattered between the rivers Foglia to the north and Pescara to the south, in Abruzzi, has revealed the existence – from the eighth to the first centuries B.C. – of what is known as the Picene culture, which flourished in the area in central Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea until it was conquered by the Romans. The most important burial sites, with rich grave goods, have been found at Novilara (province of Pesaro), Numana and Fabriano (province of Ancona), Matelica and Pitino (province of Macerata) and Belmonte Piceno (province of Fermo).

After being the site of a Bronze Age settlement and then an important Picene town, in about 390 B.C. Ancona became the home of a group of refugees who arrived from the Greek colony of Syracuse, in Sicily; living side by side with the Picenes, they set up a thri ving port that traded with the eastern Mediterranean. The nearby town of Numana, an old Picene port, also had important trading relations with the Greek civilization. In the fourth and third centuries B.C., the central and northern Marches up to Esino were occupied by the Gallic tribes known as the Senones. The most important settlements of this people – who produced splendid jewellery now exhibited at the Museo archeologico nazionale delle Marche – have been found at Arcevia and Senigallia. After the battle of Sentinum in 295 B.C. between an alliance of the Gauls and the Samnites and one of the Romans and Picenes, in the area between Camerino and Sassoferrato, the Romans occupied the territory of the Gauls, stressing its cultural distinctiveness by calling it ager Gallicus. Over the next twocenturies they conquered the rest of the region, building roads, such as the Via Flaminia, which still links Rome to Fano, and the Via Salaria, which they used to transport salt from Porto d’Ascoli. Along them, the Romans founded colonies and municipia (provincial cities whose citizens had the privileges of Roman citizens), evidence of which is still clearly visible today in the grid plans of a number of towns (Pesaro, Fano, Senigallia, Jesi, Ascoli Piceno) and in the ancient monuments, such as Trajan’s Arch at Ancona; on the Via Flaminia, the Arch of Augustus at Fano, Vespasian’s tunnel (76 A.D.) in the Gola del Furlo, and bridges, such as Ponte Mallio at Cagli, Ponte Grosso at Pontericcioli (Cantiano area); on the Via Salaria, Porta Gemina and Ponte del Solestà at Ascoli Piceno. The equestrian group in gilded bronze found at Cartoceto di Pergola is particularly interesting, as is the sculpture in bronze attributed to Lysippus found in the waters off Fano and currently on display at the Getty Museum in Malibù, California. Numerous relics from Picene, Gallic and Roman times are to be found in the archaeological museums (Ancona, Arcevia, Urbino, Pesaro, Pergola, Cingoli, Urbisaglia and Ascoli Piceno) and the numerous archaeological parks (Fossombrone, Sassoferrato, Castellone di Suasa, San Severino Marche, Urbisaglia, Falerone and Cupra Marittima).

In Sirolo you will find an interesting archeological area at Pini place. This area is very important because it is the only one in Marche in which is possible visiting a sector of Picene Necropolis.

In 1989, in this archeological area it has been found out the “Sirolo Princesse Grave”, a funerary complex belonging to a Picene noble lady buried with a sumptuous set including also two chariots, referable to the Vi century b. C.

The two found chariots are of different typologies: a biga and a gig; as for other similar finds of central Adriatic Italy, they were disassembled and positioned in the sepulchre grave. This was a typical procedure of the Picene community funeral rites of the close Numana. Inside the Antiquarium Numana State Museum, into a support expressly provided to offer the dig, there have been positioned all the recovered and restored metal parts of the two chariots, leaving unaltered the proportions and the dimensions of the find.

Another as important as rare archeological find has been unearthed: an amber and ivory decorated kline which has confirmed the extraordinary importance of this royal burial. Besides of other interesting archeological finds (Attic bowls and cups with black shapes, oinochoe, strainer, bronze tripod, andirons and iron spears, terracotta dolii) there are materials and personal decoration artefacts regarding the funeral dress (sandals, pectoral-pendants, fibulas of different shapes and types).

Some of the rich and numerous archeological finds discovered is displayed at the Antiquarium Numana State Museum.

On the south of the town, lies the archaeological area of the Roman town of Potentia, where it is possible to visit the ruins of some buildings. There are also statuesque findings, kept inside the keep of the Swabian Castle.

The important archaelogical complex was part of a shrine dating back to the Tiberian period (the first half ot the I century A.D.) and it was dedicated to the Goddess Salus Augusta according to the inscription Salus Augustae Salviensis.The complex was made of a prostyle temple, located over a podium, which hosted the statue of the divinity and a cryptoporticus. The walls were decorated with frescoes representing hunting scenes, iconographic themes. he ceramic materials of the cryptoporticus are preserved in the National Archaelogical Museum of Urbisaglia.

The Roman Theatre of the old town of Urbs Salvia is located in the Archaelogical Park of Urbisaglia. The building, dating back to the I century A.D., is an evidence of a great historic-artistic value because it is one the largest classical theatre in Italy, but it is also the only theatre which has ever preserved significant traces of decorations in Pompeiian style. The theatre is located on a hill and was made of bricks. The structural characteristics of the building are still visible today such as the stage (with the Royal Door entrance for actors and the Portae Hospitales), the basilicae, and the cavea. Recent excavations have brought to light the remains of the Porticus Post Scaenam, a large quadrangular porch used to contain spectators during pauses. In the National Archaelogical Museum of Urbisaglia, there are portraits and sculptures from the Theatre.

Not far from Piazza del Popolo, the Roman cisterns are entered through a door in Via degli Aceti, a steep and evocative alley in the historical centre with characteristic brick paving. The large underground complex of the great Roman cisterns, datable to the end of the 1 st Century B.C. and unique in Italy for its area in square metres, is made up of 30 intercommunicating rooms, laid out in three parallel rows. They were part of a complex system involving a well-organized aqueduct which started with spring water and distributed it throughout the town. The imposing size and excellent condition add charm to an underground journey through Roman building techniques and hydraulic engineering. Inside we can observe traces of impermeable concrete, the brick lining of the partition walls, the imprints of the boards used to make the ceilings of the single rooms, the cleaning platforms, the aeration wells, the inlet and outlet pipes.

The Cecco Bridge, dating back to the Republican age, is located over the Castellano river in Ascoli Piceno. According to a legend, the bridge was built in one night by the famous scholar and astrologer Cecco D’Ascoli, helped by the Devil. The two-arch structure was made of ashlars. The bridge was destroyed during the Second World War and it was rebuilt in 1971 using the original material.

The roman Arli Bridge, also called the Old Bridge, dates back to 1580 when it was rebuilt after a flood of the Tronto river destroyed the entire structure. Nowadays, it is only possible to see a block of tuff stone and the basis of a pier.

The Augustan Bridge of Porta Cappuccina over the Tronto river is one the largest Roman bridges (more than 22 meter wide) and one of the most representative of the Roman construction technique. The structure, was made using the opus quadratum technique in travertine. Over the years, the bridge was restored several times, the last one was in 1938. The one-arch building is 22 meter wide, and 62 meter long, and it is made of pillars leaning against the rock. The bridge is nowadays accessible from the inside through a corridor and it links the city centre to the Porta Cappuccina.